Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

First Responder Calls Train Derailment 'Shocking' And 'Surreal'

Listen

https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/121817AJ_FirstResponder_web.mp3

As clean up begins, firefighters are describing what it was like to respond to Monday’s Amtrak derailment in Pierce County, Washington.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m. during the morning commute, an Amtrak Cascades train derailed. Rail cars were on the freeway and hanging from a bridge.

West Pierce Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jay Sumerlin said the scene was shocking and surreal even though first responders prepare for just this kind of disaster.

“Something like this where train cars are precariously dangling over a freeway, that’s something that we do tabletops on and everybody comes in usually going ‘oh that’s not going to happen,’” Sumerlin said. “Well, here we are. That’s exactly what happened so I’m glad we train to that level, worst case, cause today that was one of those days.”

Responding firefighters used the jaws of life and ladders to rescue passengers from the train cars. They even searched the car that was dangling from the bridge. There were also motorists in cars and semis below who were part of the wreckage.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network. To see more, visit Northwest News Network.

Related Stories:

Evergreen State College Copes With Fallout, Months After ‘Day Of Absence’ Sparked National Debate

Students and staff at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, are teasing out how to define and express issues of racism and oppression on campus almost one year after an annual event there provoked a national conversation on free speech and civil rights. Read More » PBS Newshour January 8, 2018

Money From Washington Carbon Tax Should Go to Rural Areas, DNR Commissioner Says

Washington’s commissioner of public lands is calling on the state legislature to put a price on carbon to try to curb emissions in the state. But Hilary Franz differs with Gov. Jay Inslee about how to use the money. Read More » Eilís O'Neil January 8, 2018

Oregon Sues Monsanto For PCB Clean-Up Costs

Oregon is suing the agro-chemical company Monsanto to help clean up toxic chemicals in the environment. The Attorney General’s Office filed suit last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Read More » Jes Burns January 8, 2018